Electronics questions...

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diofan56

Electronics questions...
« on: 8 Dec 2012, 05:32 pm »
Hi all!

What does 60,000Auf memory mean?  I see that the amps can be upgraded to 120,000 or more Auf.  What does this do?  Does it make a noticeable difference in sound?

Thanks in advance!

Dave

firedog

Re: Electronics questions...
« Reply #1 on: 8 Dec 2012, 05:52 pm »
In layman's terms, as I (a layman) understand it: it means more current/capacitance. For music it means the amp has the resources to react quickly and fully to musical peaks that require more power.  In listening terms, it means that the amp has better dynamics (micro and macro) and generally a higher capacitance amp will have more of an easy and flowing sense to the sound b/c of the more than adequate capacitance.

60,000 is already more than most amps. 120,000 is more than about 99% of amps, I think. Will you be able to hear the difference? Probably, but hard to tell. Depends on how hard your speakers are to drive and how loud you listen.

I have 2 amps, one rated at 300WPC 8 Ohms with 28000 Auf and the other rated at 85 WPC at 8 Ohms with 88,000 Auf.  My speakers aren't hard to drive (rated at 91db and 8 ohms) but the amp with "less power"  but more capacitance seems subjectively louder and definitely plays peaks like crescendos, cymbal hits, or drum hits better and more easily and sounds more realistic than the higher powered amp. That's why a lot of "low power" but high current amps can often do a surprisingly good job driving speakers. You rarely need all the power your amp can put out, but you often need high current delivery, even if only for a brief time.

srb

Re: Electronics questions...
« Reply #2 on: 8 Dec 2012, 07:56 pm »
Beyond offering stored power reserve, the power supply capacitance also reduces the small variations in the output, or DC ripple.  Whether or not this is overkill for other audio components other than power amplifiers, that is Wyred 4 Sound's explanation why the DAC-2 has 88,000uF of capacitance and the STP-SE Preamplifier has 164,000uF of capacitance.
 
Maybe that large amount of capacitance is used for marketing reasons as well, but it does make the output look closer to a ripple-free battery supply which many people seem to prefer over an AC supply.
 
Steve

diofan56

Re: Electronics questions...
« Reply #3 on: 10 Dec 2012, 05:19 am »
Well, I learned something today.  Thanks again for your answers.  They are greatly appreciated.

Dave

lazydays

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Re: Electronics questions...
« Reply #4 on: 10 Dec 2012, 06:12 pm »
why they like to call a capaciter "memory" I still don't know, but that's their business. A capaciter is really nothing more than an energy storage device that will allow you to bring in instant power boosts without have to go with an even bigger power supply. The same concept is used in hydraulics and pneumatics. Large caps can also be used to take the jolts, bumps, and dips out of the power band (makes things opperate smoother). In hydraulics and pneumatics we'd call them accumulators (work exactly the same way). Now my first amps were 60K if memory serves me right, and they were upgraded to the 120K setup soon after I got them. Later they were upgraded to 360K. What I saw with these changes wasn't nearly as much as most would have thought unless you were driving them hard and playing lots and lots of heavy bass and organ music. The higher the factor number the harder it seems to overdrive the amps (I'm certain there is a down side, but what I don't know). With the 120K caps I could maybe tax the power band a tiny bit, but with the 360K stuff I can't come close to doing this. Perhaps driving a big pair of Maggies or something like that I don't know. In the end the amps become sort of a secure spot in the system that one never really knows about. I almost forget that I have these two big amps much of the time. No color, or "house sound." I believe that if you can hear your amps; then you need to be doing some tweeking! I only wish I could take the house sound out of some of the other pieces of equipment in my system!
gary